Law & Order: SVU
The Unofficial Companion

“If you’re an SVU fan, this is a must-have.”– G. Ibarra, Amazon reader

“Refreshing to read a book about a TV show that doesn’t lapse into mindless, fannish drool, but is a thoughtful, intelligent and comprehensive overview.”– Lee Goldberg, Amazon reader

Written for fans of the wildly popular NBC series, The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Unofficial Companion is a comprehensive guide to the first 10 seasons of the Emmy-winning show. With the sort of ripped-from-the-headlines approach fans have come to expect from any Law & Order franchise, SVU offers a gritty look at how justice works — and when it does not — inside an elite unit of the New York Police Department.

Inside The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Unofficial Companion:

A gripping, insiders foreword from franchise and series creator Dick Wolf

Synopsis, objective analysis and behind-the-scenes details from every episode

Commentaries and recollections from the men and women (and even a dog) behind crafting the one-hour drama

A week in the life of a show, as authors Susan Green and Randee Dawn go backstage at the bicoastal operation, observing the progress of one entire show

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Unofficial Companion goes right to the heart of the long-running, top-notch program. The book provides fascinating backstage trivia and delightful insights for devotees of this small-screen gem.

For all those who turn on and tune in, The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Unofficial Companion will serve as a healthy dose of facts about fiction.

Ka-chang.

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On September 16, 2009, I breached the gates of the SVU compound to investigate this new “media set” that had been built. (I also took a moment to have a photo taken at the bench.) Below, the results of my reconnaissance (into friendly territory, naturally).

A wide shot of SVU’s new “media set,” which replaces what was known as the “multiplex” — multiple screens arranged a la Minority Report on a corner wall.

A closer shot of one of the media set’s screens, seen in the first photo on the far right.

When we visited the set in 2008, this wall was not there; the space it now divides features the media set on one side (see through windows) and the rest of the precinct corridors on the other (where the photographer is standing). If you watch the episode “Lunacy” from Season 10, profiled in the book, this is the area where Chris Elliott’s character shot the punk he thought had killed the astronaut.

Featured in the media set is this divided view of Manhattan Island; there’s a greasepencil notation about a sock on the far upper right. Also, reflected in the image are your photographer/co-author and amazing SVU guy Mike Ciliento, who runs much of the set’s publicity and the online site’s blog.

Another shot through the new wall that divides the media set from the corridors. Featured are director David Platt (obscured behind man in blue shirt) and Mike Ciliento (leaning over).

This is the table they’re leaning on in the photo above. Wooden, clearly, but with a glass tabletop.

A stack of papers found on the tabletop; the notations should give you a chuckle. They’re never seen on-camera, so it just has to look like writing. And this is amusing writing.

The prior home of the “multiplex,” this corner supported several screens and is now a kind of honor wall.

Not part of the media set, this is a “hotel room” set designed for a surveillance scene in Season 11.

Mike helpfully pointed out that since we visited the set in 2008, SVU has gone far more green, with fewer plastic water bottles (among other items). Everyone got his or her own permanent water bottle, emblazoned with the show logo, to carry around. Thanks again, Mike!